Grid computing has largely been in the realm of Unix and Linux, but some developers are looking to bring Microsoft Corp. into the mix.
GridIron Software Inc., of Ottawa, last week entered into an agreement with Microsoft to develop grid technology. Microsoft and GridIron have been working to make GridIrons tools available for high-definition, real-time encoding solutions on Windows XP, said GridIron officials.

GridIron plans to focus on desktop applications that are computation-intensive, such as those for digital content creation, editing and management, officials said.

Meanwhile, Digipede Technologies LLC has unveiled Digipede Network, a Microsoft .Net-based distributed computing solution for computation-, data- and transaction-intensive applications, said John Powers, president and CEO of the Oakland, Calif., company.
Initial support will be for Windows only, but future versions will support other operating systems. Digipedes solution dynamically parcels complex computing tasks across the network to tap idle resources, Powers said.
To read more about Digipedes launch of the Digipede Network at the Demo conference this month, click here.

Digipede Network consists of three parts: Digipede Agents, which manage desktops, servers or cluster nodes and the tasks that run on them; Digipede Server, which is responsible for managing workflow throughout the system; and Digipede Workbench, through which users can define and run jobs, Powers said.
Pricing for Digipede Network Team Edition starts at $995 for a system licensing one Digipede Server and five Digipede Agents; additional Digipede Agents can be licensed for $199 each.
Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis in programming environments and developer tools.

Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.